Aon Aviation Expert Says A380 Tour Reminds of 1969

CHICAGO, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aviation history is repeating itself with the Airbus A380's U.S. tour, according to an Aon Aviation expert.

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Aon Aviation President Wayne Wignes says the marketplace changes posed by Airbus' new jumbo jet are almost identical to those presented in 1969 when Boeing rolled out its 747. "People forget there were other jumbo jets then, too," he said. "The L-1011 and DC-10 were also coming on the scene at the same time. But neither presented the challenge the 747 did for the industry in 1969. Nearly 40 years later, the same can be said of the A380. It's a revolution for the aviation industry."

Wignes says the A380 presents significant new liability exposures for all of Airbus' service providers. "If action or inaction by a service provider is ever found to be the direct or indirect cause of an incident with the A380, the liability would be immense," Wignes said. "Underwriters would be aware of that and it would be reflected in insurance pricing."

The nation's airports may also not be enthusiastic about the new aircraft, he says. "Most airports don't have the gate space for a plane with a wingspan the length of a football field," he says. "Even those airports that can accommodate the aircraft would have to expand their jetway facilities to deal with an influx of A380s. Airports all over the world would be looking at a significant capital expenditure if and when the A380 enters the market."

Wignes says there's another parallel with 1969. "Back then most observers felt the 747 was a 'bet-the-company' decision for Boeing. Many experts are saying the same thing now about Airbus."

About Aon

Aon Corporation ( http://www.aon.com/ ) is a leading provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital and management consulting, and specialty insurance underwriting. There are 43,000 employees working in Aon's 500 offices in more than 120 countries. Backed by broad resources, industry knowledge and technical expertise, Aon professionals help a wide range of clients develop effective risk management and workforce productivity solutions.

For more information contact: Al Orendorff 312.381.3153 al_orendorff@aon.com

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